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Each year you hold the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), you’ll get up to $200 to treat yourself, thanks to the card’s Splurge Credit℠. This credit is valid at up to two brands of your choice from a short list of five eligible merchants.
Here’s everything you need to know about selecting your brands and using your credit — plus a few things to keep in mind before you make a purchase.
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How to Use the Citi Strata Elite Splurge Credit
One of the main ways to offset your Citi Strata Elite’s annual fee is by using the card’s Splurge Credit. After selecting two of the following merchants, you’ll receive up to $200 back in statement credits each calendar year when you make eligible purchases:
- 1stDibs
- American Airlines
- Best Buy
- Future Personal Training
- Live Nation
Choosing your Splurge Credit merchants
To choose your merchants, log in to your Citi account and hover over the “Rewards & Offers” tab. Then click “Citi Strata Elite Benefits.”
At the top of that page, you’ll see a button labeled “Splurge Credit” — click it.
This will bring you to the Splurge Credit dashboard, where you’ll see your credit tracker (how much of the $200 you’ve used so far this year), your purchase history, and your currently selected brands. To make or update a selection, click “Select brand.”
You can pick up to two brands. For example, I only chose American Airlines, since I know I’ll spend at least $200 with them before the end of the year.
While you can’t activate more than two merchants at once, you can switch them out as needed — either online or by calling Citi at 1-833-888-2168. Just make sure you’ve selected your merchants before making a purchase. Otherwise, you may not receive the statement credit within 1–2 billing cycles.
Using your Splurge Credit
Once you’ve activated your Splurge Credit merchant(s), you can use your Citi Strata Elite to make a purchase with that brand. It’s really that simple. You’ll still earn ThankYou® Points as usual, since these purchases aren’t excluded from rewards.
For eligible purchases, you can receive up to $200 back in statement credits each calendar year, from January 1 through December 31. That means the credit will reset on January 1, 2026.
If you’ve paid the $75 annual fee (Rates & Fees) to add an authorized user, their purchases at your selected merchants will also count toward your $200 cap. Authorized users don’t get their own separate Splurge Credit.
Related: Don’t Leave Money on the Table — Use These Credit Card Statement Credits in 2025
What doesn't count for the Splurge Credit
It’s always worth reading the fine print, and there are a few things to keep in mind about what does and doesn’t qualify for the Citi Strata Elite Splurge Credit. Most purchases will count, but there are noted exceptions when it comes to two of the five eligible merchants.
- American Airlines: Eligible purchases must be billed directly by American Airlines. Purchases that don’t qualify include car rentals, hotel reservations, AAdvantage status boosts or renewals, and AA Cargo products or services.
- Live Nation: Purchases must be made directly on livenation.com or ticketmaster.com, and the event must be fulfilled by Live Nation or Ticketmaster. If your purchase is fulfilled by a third party or tied to an event or venue outside the U.S. or U.S. territories, it won’t be eligible.
Bottom Line
If you’re planning to add the Citi Strata Elite to your wallet, there’s no reason not to take advantage of its Splurge Credit. This is an easy way to earn up to $200 back in statement credits each calendar year — and at least three of the eligible merchants (American Airlines, Best Buy, and Live Nation) should make it simple to get face value for it.
For example, you could use your credit to upgrade your next American Airlines flight, cover award taxes and fees on a trip to see your favorite artist or sports team, or get up to $200 back on anything Best Buy sells online or in-store. What's better than that?
And if this benefit has piqued your interest, now’s a great time to apply for the Citi Strata Elite. The brand-new card is currently offering 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points to new applicants after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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